The Clock Strikes Twelve
by RiverMoriarty
Summary: The Doctor has regenerated right before Clara's eyes and the Tardis is crashing. Luckily, there is someone else who knows how to fly her.
1. Chapter 1

"We all change. When you think about it, we are all different people through our lives, and that's okay. That's good. You've got to keep moving… so long as you remember all the people that you used to be. I will not forget one line of this. Not one day, I swear. I will always remember when the Doctor was me."

As the words left his lips, in his mind the Doctor then saw his beloved Amelia Pond appear before him, the first face his own had seen. His dearest friend and mother-in-law came to him like an echo and gently touched his cheek. "Raggedy man, goodnight." Though he hated endings and had long been running from his own, this gentle reassurance gave him peace at last.

The last time he had done this, he did not want to go. But this time, as he slid the bow tie off his neck and watched it touch the ground, he knew he was ready. And this regeneration, much like the regenerative energy River gave to bring him back to life, was a gift. For the love of Gallifrey, he had been granted a rare chance. The rules had changed and he had been granted another chance. For the first time in his many lives, he was prepared to take it. Clara's heart broke as she knew his time had come.

"No, no," she cried as she reached for his hand. "Please, don't change." In a sudden last burst of regenerative power, he transformed once more. His eyes, intensely lost and searching, pierced into Clara's, which were full of shock and fear. Speechless, she stared at a man so different from the one she had known before. He was the same Doctor, but now she felt that she had truly seen him for the first time.

Thrusting back in pain, he shouted, "KIDNEYS! I've got new kidneys! I don't like the colour."

"Of your kidneys," she asked, still in shock. The tardis jolted violently in response to the regeneration. "What's happening?"

"We're probably crashing," he replied as he flailed about anxiously.

"Into what?" she shouted back at him as he made his way around the console. He pressed buttons and flipped levers aimlessly.

"Stay calm," he said in an attempt to reassure her right before he realized how lost he truly was. "Just… one question. Do you happen to know how to fly this thing?" As if she was not panicked enough, she realized now that she was falling helplessly through time and space with a confused old man. He had become a a stranger to her now and she feared what might transpire next.

The phone rang suddenly and the Doctor shrieked unexpectedly. Rushing back to the console attempting to remember how to use it, he asked, "Would you mind getting that for me?" Clara regained her composure and picked up the receiver.

"Hello, sweetie," River purred on the other end. Clara had heard this voice before but, in all the commotion, she could not place it.

"Who's calling?" the Doctor asked as he flipped several switches, not looking up from the console.

"I'm sorry," she said to the caller,"the Doctor is a bit… busy at the moment. May I take a message?"

River pulled away from the phone in confusion. "What's going on? Where's my husband?" River tried to remain calm.

"River?" Clara remembered now, but felt more confused than before. "Sorry, he's… he's changed now and we seem to be… crashing."

"He's regenerated then."

"He seems to have forgotten how to fly the tardis."

"I have not," he shouted to her, still hopelessly pressing buttons and looking quite lost. "I'm just… taking a bit longer to remember." River rolled her eyes.

"Right then. You'll need a knowledgeable pilot pronto so stay on the phone for a moment while I lock in on your coordinates. I'll be on board shortly." Clara heard something explode behind her.

"Keep calm, there's nothing to worry about," the Doctor ran off to investigate.

"Please hurry," Clara pleaded.


	2. Chapter 2

Like lightning, River Song flashed before her by way of her vortex manipulator. The sight was all the more shocking as River arrived in nothing but a creme colored satin and lace teddy that was all too short, her wild mess of curls in disarray. The original intention of her call was evident. But this was a younger River than the one Clara had met before. She was more vibrant, more passionate and, obviously, more alive. For River, she was still fairly a newly wed.

The Doctor was off inspecting the Tardis and desperately searching for a manual. River took one look at Clara and smiled without shame. "You must be new. I do love new things."

"I'm Clara," she reached out cautiously at first, still confused by River's existence.

"Doctor River Song," she beamed as she shook her hand. "I'm the Doctor's wife."

"I know," Clara whispered under her breath. She spoke up. "We've met before."

"We have? Well then, I look forward to that. I'll make a note of it to remember." Another crash. The Doctor yelled. "Right then. You need a pilot. My husband needs an assistant. Could you check on him for me, dear? I'll set us right on course."

"Right then," Clara wandered off to find the Doctor but watched in amazement as River took command of the ship. Taking hold of the controls, River stabilized the Tardis, then caressed the console, whispering, "Good girl, there we go."

"Doctor?" Clara approached slowly. "There's someone here to see you." He stood up and turned to follow her.

"Someone here?" His curiosity was quickly replaced with a flood of emotions at the sight of his wife's backside. He was petrified and could feel his tongue swell and his palms grow clammy. Clara watched in silence. River felt their presence behind her and turned to face them. The most endearing smile overwhelmed her face as she looked into his eyes.

"Look at that. Everything changes." She sauntered over to him, still paralyzed and unaware of what exactly he was feeling. He was overcome with emotion, that much was certain. But which one dominated over the others was yet to be determined. She touched his face tenderly. "Oh, but I love it. You're all sort of… mature."


	3. Chapter 3

He felt the warmth of her skin, the blood pumping through her veins; no longer an echo or a figment of his imagination but real flesh and blood. And eyes. And hair. A glorious crown of golden curls and a halo of frizzy flyaways which he could not resist. Before his tongue came untied and he could breathe a word to her, he reached out with both hands and ran his fingers through the cascades of corkscrews. His bride was more beautiful than he remembered. He had never looked at her that way before. The Doctor and River had always kept their respective secrets from one another, given their complex timelines, but in these new eyes River could see right through him. The sadness, the trepidation in his eyes revealed him. He remembered her, but it must have been quite some time since he had seen her. He could barely believe that she was there right in front of him. She would not dare to ask him why.

"River," he finally exhaled. He wanted to keep her, right then and there, in that light, in that never wanted to see her go. He couldn't bare it.

"Should I leave you two alone then, " Clara chimed in, reminding them both that she was in fact still in the room. Broken from their reverie, the Doctor and river suddenly realized just how indecently River was dressed in front of their companion.

"No, that's alright, Clara. I, um," River looked back at the Doctor, "I better get going. The Tardis is stable now so you should be fine from here on out."

"No," the Doctor could not stop himself. He took hold of her hand, a rare public display of affection for him. "Please, just stay." He would not let go of her hand. He had never pleaded with her like this before. His eyes eagerly begged, "Travel with me." This was so unlike the man she had married, always reserved, always resistant. This Doctor was desperate for her and could care less if anyone knew it, especially Clara. He saw an opportunity for a second life with his beloved. He would not let this slip away.

River was too young, too naive to see a problem with this. While the older River would refuse this request, this younger River simply smiled and said, "Yes." Remembering Clara, she then turned to her and smiled, "I guess we're on an adventure then! Could be fun. Could be dangerous. Either way it should be exciting."

"You might want to get dressed then," Clara replied quietly.


	4. Chapter 4

With an enthusiasm that only comes with youth and ignorance, River sprinted off to the closet to find something to wear. The Doctor stood there quietly trying to mask the feeling that she had slipped out of his fingers once again. "Doctor," Clara inquired, "wasn't that your late wife? How is she here? How can she be here on the Tardis?"

Without looking at Clara, he replied, "The Tardis must have redirected her call… to this moment." He turned to her while placing a hand on the console in gratitude. "She must have known I needed her now." He bent down to retrieve his bow tie off the ground and held it for a moment. "I would always come to her rescue when she called. Now she's come to mine."

"And she's really… alive? She wasn't before and now she is. How can that be?"

"We're traveling in opposite directions. My past," he paused, realizing their roles had reversed, "is her future."

"She hasn't…"

"Not yet."

"Then she doesn't know." He shook his head solemnly. This was perhaps the most unnerving revelation of all. River would know. River always knew. As long as he could remember, River always knew every secret, every line of their story, every spoiler. He had always been her past and she turned the pages for him, slowly revealing their love story to him. But now he knew and, for the first time in a very long while, she was a fresh clean page. "But she's here now, Doctor. She's alive. Couldn't you save her? Rewrite history, change the future somehow," she urged. "Couldn't you at least warn her?"

"Doctor?" River called from another room. The Doctor tucked the bow tie into his pocket and raised a finger to his lips as he looked to Clara.

"Spoilers," he whispered to her as he turned to find his wife.


	5. Chapter 5

"Doctor?" River called once again from the depths of the wardrobe. The Doctor grinned from ear to ear. It was such a relief to hear her voice again and hear her call his name. Yes, he confessed that he could always hear her and see her in his imagination. She was always there to him. But it had been an eternity since she was really here, on board the Tardis, sifting through the closet searching for something to wear. He leaned against the door admiring her figure as she eagerly searched through the mountains of costumes and accessories.

He chuckled, "What on earth are you doing?"

She beamed at him. "I'm looking for something to wear. I can't go on an adventure in lingerie."

"Can't you?" She threw trousers at him.

"We have company! Anyway, you haven't told me where we're going. How should I know what to wear?"

"Wherever."

"So you don't know yet."

"No," he moved closer to her. As he placed a hand between her cheek and jawline, he almost whispered, "wherever and whenever you want." This was a gift.

"Wherever I want?" She pondered this for a moment. She perked up as she found her answer.

"Oh! The Singing Towers! I've always wanted to see the Singing Towers of Darillium!" The smile faded from his face and his eyebrows furled. At first this felt like a cruel trick but he remembered that she was far too young to know otherwise. He was angry with himself that his new face did little to hide his emotions. She could see that he was upset but could not figure out why. He saw the concern in her eyes and quickly changed his demeanor.

"Perhaps some other time." He took a seat on the floor and she joined him.

"Promise?" He took her hand in his and kissed it. He looked into her eyes and with a weak smile, he agreed.

"Promise." She scurried back to her feet and rummaged through a series of hats. She found a stetson and put it on.

"How do I look?"

"Absolutely ridiculous." She threw the stetson at him.

"Then why do you have this?"

"Because," he gave a smug look, "stetsons are cool."

"Oh shut up." She smirked at him. The Tardis jolted. River jumped to her feet. "Seems our adventure has been chosen for me. The Tardis has landed. We should see where we are." The Doctor picked something from the pile of clothes on the floor and threw it to her.

"Cover up, dear."


	6. Chapter 6

The Doctor found Clara in the console room. River followed after him while strapping up her boots. She gave her hair a good shake with one hand. "Time to find out what's behind door number one." The Doctor swung the front door open to discover they had landed on a planet that exploded with vibrancy and vitality. The Doctor beamed with excitement, took River and Clara by the hand and said, "Ladies, welcome to Magrathea." Eyes filled with wonder, the three of them stepped off the Tardis. Clara ran ahead of them to gaze up at the monstrously tall buildings but stopped just in time to avoid being pulverized by a swiftly zooming cart.

"Oi, watch where you're going," Clara called out but the Doctor quickly tried to silence her as the cart zoomed back to them.

"I'm sorry, dear child. Did I happen to nick you?"

"No, no, she's fine," the Doctor replied to the Magrathean gentleman in the cart.

Clara spoke up, "You could have killed someone going that fast."

"Well, I am quite sorry. You see, no one generally walks this way. It's quite… oh, what's the word? Pedestrian. I don't generally run into pedestrians on my way to work, let alone run over them. So you see, I am quite sorry."

"Sir, I'm sorry to have troubled you but we best not keep you from work any longer. I'm sure you wouldn't want to be late on our account," the Doctor smiled politely at the gentleman.

"Oh, not at all. As a matter of fact, if you'd like, you all may join me. You could validate my excuse for my tardiness. There's room for three more." The Doctor tried to calm Clara as he politely attempted to refuse the man.

"We wouldn't want to cause any trouble," he began before noticing young River was already getting on board.

"You, my love, promised me an adventure. Now," she reached out her hand to him from within the cart, "would you like to build a planet?" He smiled at her, unable to resist her enthusiasm. He patted Clara on the head in a paternal fashion.

"I guess we'll build a planet today," he replied. Clara despised being treated like a child but she could clearly see that River had the Doctor wrapped around her finger. He would do anything to please her. So, without resistance, she followed the Doctor on to the cart.

"Alright then. Away we go." The cart zoomed as the lights flashed by them. "You're all joining me on a very good day. We've already finished work on Trenzalore." The Doctor's face grimaced.

"We've actually just," Clara began but the Doctor shook his head at her.

"What's that, dear child?"

"Nothing."

"It's alright, you know. I can tell you're time travelers."

"You can?"

"Time lords, aren't you? I was there for the creation of Gallifrey. I can spot a time lord when I see one."

The Doctor smiled, almost unable to speak. "Well, yes."

"On a family outing with the misses and child?" Clara hated that term.

"It would seem so." The Doctor took River by the hand. The Magrathean grew quiet and whispered to the Doctor.

"Don't take this the wrong way, sir, but it sounds as though the little one may have a heart defect. I only hear one beat out of her."

"Could be the fright you gave her."

"Oh, right," the gentleman nodded. "Still, you may want to have that checked out."

"I'll keep that in mind," the Doctor replied as he looked to Clara. Clara could hear every word between them but kept her mouth shut. They arrived at a massive glass building filled with cubicles and large structures, maps, and blueprints hanging everywhere. They followed the gentleman out of the cart before it was whisked away to a hidden parking garage.

Clara rushed beside River to ask her quietly, "What did he mean I have a heart defect?"

"He thinks there's something wrong with one of your hearts."

"I only have the one. Don't you?" River laughed.

"Not exactly. My parents did, but I was conceived on the Tardis. Time lord DNA, I'm afraid. Runs in my blood and pumps out of my two hearts."

Clara stopped in her tracks. "Two hearts."

"And I love that man with both."

"Could barely handle one heart breaking. I can't imagine two," Clara whispered to herself.

"Sorry?" River asked. Clara shook her head and caught up with her.

"Nothing. I was just… That gentleman," she pointed to the Magrathean leading the way, "he seems to think I'm your child."

"Well then we better play it up now, shouldn't we?"

"But if he can tell the Doctor's a time lord, why didn't he suspect I might be human?"

"Perhaps the Earth hasn't been built yet, dear."

"Earth hasn't been build yet?" Clara spoke up in an irritated tone which the Magrathean could finally hear.

"Well, no, but we are working on it now. I told you that you all were joining me on a good day."

River smiled at Clara who had a look of utter disbelief. "Told you we were building a planet today. Guess you weren't expecting your own."


	7. Chapter 7

"Hang on," Clara announced, "you mean to tell me that this is the man who created the world?"

"Don't be rude," the Doctor shot back.

"No, no. I'm just one of the builders. It's a team effort, you know," the Magrathean said with a grin. "If you'd like, you can be part of the team." He held out his hand to her and Clara cautiously took it. The Doctor grinned at River and offered his arm in a chivalrous manner. The four of them joined the world building team and made forests and trees and mountains and snow. Clara crunched a pile of leaves and fluttered them on the ground, remembering the beauty of autumn, her favorite season. She was grateful to play a part in creating its wonder.

The Doctor carved out a long body of water through the Amazon and named it after his beloved River. "Sentimental idiot," she smirked and lightly shoved him. She swaggered off, but overwhelmed with affection, he chased after her, grabbed her from behind and kissed her neck. He held her tight and nuzzled her, pushing her ringlets away from his face to avoid inhaling them into his nostrils. She welcomed this unexpected physical affection and held on to him as long as she could. The younger Doctor, the one she had known before was rarely this affectionate, especially in public. Clara watched in silence.

She felt an emptiness in the pit of her stomach. There was a subtle sadness in her heart. She couldn't tell if it was brought on by the fact that she fancied him herself, or if it was the fact that she knew the Doctor was essentially holding on to a ghost. River was not a ghost in a sense that she was when Clara first met her. But this younger River was not yet the same woman she had met. And Clara knew she could not stay. So the Doctor chose to make the most of this time with her in his arms, because he knew one day she'd be gone. He drew her in closer and whispered in her ear, "I love you, River." She cherished every word and closed her eyes, taking in the moment. She wanted to stay there forever.

"Are they always this touchy," asked the Magrathean. "It's a bit uncomfortable if you ask me." Clara broke from her thoughts. "You'd think they were newly weds. They look like a couple of young kids in love."

Clara thought about this. The Magrathean had been older than earth itself. He existed before humanity. Suddenly she was acutely aware of the fact that she was on an alien planet, and even still, this alien, this person rather, was aware of young love. Love was not a foreign concept to this man. He recognized it when he saw it. And in that moment Clara remembered the words of the Doctor; this is not a ghost story, it's a love story.

"It's the oldest story in the universe," she said out loud, unaware that her thoughts had become audible.

"Sorry?" The Magrathean looked puzzled.

"Boy and girl fall in love, get separated by events.. Since then they've been yearning for each other across time and space. Across dimensions." This was her revelation. "It's a love story." The Magrathean continued to look puzzled. "They're in love," Clara said in surrender.


End file.
